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Neil deGrasse Tyson is a cosmologist, astrophysicist, author and science communicator.[1]
Neil deGrasse Tyson was born in Manhattan in 1958. He is the son of sociologist Cyril Tyson and gerontologist Toni Feliciano. Tyson's middle name, deGrasse, is from the last name of his paternal grandmother.
He was educated in the public schools through his graduation from the Bronx High School of Science. Tyson went on to earn his BA in Physics from Harvard and his PhD in Astrophysics from Columbia.[1]
He first became interested in astronomy at the age of nine after visiting the sky theater of the Hayden Planetarium in New York City. Tyson said that "so strong was that imprint of the night sky that I'm certain that I had no choice in the matter, that in fact, the universe called me. In 1994, Neil joined the Hayden Planetarium as a staff scientist and the Princeton faculty as a visiting research scientist and lecturer. In 1996, he became director of the planetarium.[1]
Some of his awards and honors include the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, Sexiest Astrophysicist Alive by People Magazine, "Top 10 Most Influential People in Science" by Discover Magazine, Science Writing Award and Isaac Asimov Award. [1]
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